Dąbrówka High School in Poznań (officially in Polish: VII Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Dąbrówki w Poznaniu, in abbreviated version known also as VII LO or colloquially simply as Dąbrówka) is a public school, located in the Poznań district of Jeżyce; it offers education to teenagers above 15 years of age. Founded in 1919, until 1967 it operated as an establishment for girls only. Currently its somewhat distinctive profile is marked by bilingual, Polish-German curriculum, complete with the Deutsches Sprachdiplom II exams. In terms of educational performance the school ranks among mid-range college-type schools in Poznań.

Foundation and beginnings (1919)

When in late 1918 political power in Poznań was claimed by the local Polish structures of Naczelna Rada Ludowa, all city schools for girls, the so-called Höhere Mädchenschule, were German in terms of instruction language and general outlook. The oldest and the most prestigious of them was the public Luisenschule. In the early 1919 the establishment was paralyzed by a conflict between German staff and the NRL delegate, Maria Swinarska, tasked with introducing instruction in Polish.Zdzisława Smuszkiewicz, Z dawnych dziejów Dąbrówki w Poznaniu (1830-1939), [in:] Dorota Żołądź-Strzelczyk, Justyna Gulczyńska (eds.), 180 lat Szkoły im. Dąbrówki w Poznaniu (1830-2010), Poznań 2010, , p. 47 It is not clear whether the strife contributed to the future fate of the school. In May the Polish schooling board, Prowincjonalne Kolegium Szkolne, decided to break with the Luisian tradition, perceived as tantamount to Germanisation. In somewhat obscure circumstances the school was renamed after a medieval princess Dąbrówka;it appears that the decision to choose Dąbrówka has been taken beyond the school, perhaps in the local schooling board. The first Polish headmaster of the school notes that she was merely informed, Smuszkiewicz 2010, pp. 45-46 the choice was supposed to underline patriotically Polish, anti-German and regional identity.for symbolic threads related to the person of Dąbrówka and speculations on the logic of the choice see Magdalena Witasik, Dlaczego Dąbrówka? W kwestii wyboru patronki szkoły, [in:] Helena Dolata, Maria Dolata, Wacława Małecka (eds.), Zjazd Dąbrówczański, Poznań 2005, pp. 15-16 The institution commenced the schooling year of 1919/1920 as Państwowa Uczelnia Żeńska Dąbrówki. Until then most German staff had left, partially replaced by newly hired Polish teachers;Justyna Gulczyńska, Szkolnictwo średnie dla dziewcząt w Poznaniu w okresie międzywojennym, [in:] Wiesław Jamrożek, Dorota Żołądź-Strzelczyk (eds.), Rola i miejsce kobiet w edukacji i kulturze polskiej, vol. 1, Poznań 1998, , p. 171 Maria Swinarska was nominated the new headmaster. Official ceremony emphasized re-launch rather than continuity; the 40-year-old premises taken over from Luisenschule were consecrated and following a solemn parade across the city the students joined erection of the Liberty Mound.Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 46 All paperwork, until mid-1919 conducted in German, was switched to Polish.

The Dąbrówka School took over from Luisenwschule a large compound located at the Western side of the Młyńska Street; it consisted of a front building, running along the street, and two large perpendicular buildings in the back, called the Northern One and Southern One; the backyard in-between was used as a sporting ground for PE lessons.Wacława Małecka, „Wędrująca szkoła” – siedziby, [in:] Dorota Żołądź-Strzelczyk, Justyna Gulczyńska (eds.), 180 lat Szkoły im. Dąbrówki w Poznaniu (1830-2010), Poznań 2010, , p. 26 Though with no electricity and no central heating, the premises were in perfect running condition.Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 52 It seems that staff shortages were addressed fairly quickly, as in late 1919 there were 24 Poles among 35 teachers listed.Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 48 The school retained its female profile; an unspecified number of girls commenced education in Luisenschule, but completed it already in the Dąbrówka School.see e.g. the case of Julianna Wilak-Niewiedział, Helena Dolata, Maria Dolata, Wacława Małecka (eds.), Zjazd Dąbrówczański, Poznań 2005, p. 45 Recruitment scale is not clear; the number of girls admitted in the very early 1920s ranges depending upon the source from 538Małecka 2010, p. 127 to above 1057.Zdzisława Smuszkiewicz, Z dawnych dziejów poznańskiej Dąbrówki (1830-1939), [in:] Kronika Miasta Poznania 69/4 (2001), p. 125, Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 48 A huge number of candidates triggered opening of a new similar female school in the Łazarz district, where some of the students admitted have been re-directed.Jerzy Topolski, Dzieje Poznania w latach 1793-1945: 1918-1945, vol. 2/2, Poznań 1994, , s 1156, II Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Generałowej Zamoyskiej. Historia szkoły service, available here, Aleksandra Smoczkiewiczowa, Państwowe Liceum i Gimnazjum Żeńskie im. Generałowej Zamoyskiej w latach 1919-1928 w moich wspomnieniach, [in:] Kronika Miasta Poznania 62/2 (1994), p. 380 Maria Swinarska (1880-1963) originated from the family of landholders, graduated with the Ursulines, initially taught at the Posen private school of Anastazja Warnka. Studied pedagogics in Breslau, but could find work when back in Posen; taught in Berlin and Niederschlesien. She was the first Dąbrówka headmaster, serving until 1933. During the Nazi rule she ran makeshift clandestine courses. Remained in touch with the school until the late 1950s Ethnic composition of the girls is far from agreed; some authors claim that the Germans were in minority, others claim that they dominated; none of the sources consulted provides information on Jews, traditionally forming a significant fraction of the Luisenschule students.according to one author "during takeover" of Swinarska there were 46 Polish students among the girls, Danuta Piotrowska-Szulczewska, Z odległych wspomnień o Marii Swinarskiej, [in:] Kronika Miasta Poznania 69/4 (2001), p. 135. According to another scholar, "the day the school [Dąbrówka] opened" there were 1057 girls, including 353 Germans, Szmuszkiewicz 2001, p. 125, also Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 48 The number of schooling groups slightly exceeded 30, some 2/3 with instruction in Polish and 1/3 in German.data provided by sources does not add up, see e.g. the claim that in 1919 Swinarska took over "31 sections, including 24 with instruction in Polish and 11 with instruction in German" [sic!], Gulczyńska 1998, p. 174, also Dorota Żołądź, Rola i miejsce kobiet w edukacja i kulturze polskiej, vol .1, Poznań 1998, , p. 174 Initially the school offered curriculum according to various teaching schemes and some sources claim that in fact there were five formulas co-existing: gymnasium, lyceum, high lyceum (seminar for teachers), practice unit (training ground for seminarians) and a so-called economy school (of unclear formula).the lyceum scheme covered 10 grades, the high lyceum scheme covered 4 grades, the practice school covered 9 grades; structure of the gymnasium scheme is not clear, Gulczyńska 1998, p. 174, Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 48 Given vastly different teaching modules, girls barely in teenage years might have mixed with young women.

Dąbrówka School (1919-1939)

Throughout most of the interwar period Dąbrówka was one of two publicanother public school was a college in the Łazarz district; until 1928 it was named Państwowe Liceum i Gimnazjum Żeńskie na Łazarzu, afterwards Liceum Generałowej Jadwigi Zamoyskiej. For a systematic review of all schools in the region see Robert Zimny, Prywatne szkolnictwo średnie ogólnokształcące w Wielkopolsce w latach 1945-1961 [PhD thesis accepted at the Adam Mickiewicz University], Poznań 2011, pp. 25-28 and one of five female high schools in Poznań in general;identified private establishments are the Ursuline college Gimnazjum Żeńskie Najświętszego Serca Jezusa, Gulczyńska 1998, p. 171. The Ursulines operated a female college in 1853-1874; it was systematically harassed by Luisenschule and charged with "fanatical [Polish] nationalism"; following a campaign of harassment the provincial administration managed to shut down the school. The plot, purchased by the Regierungsbezirk, was handed over to Luisenschule and in 1919 taken over by Dąbrówka. The Ursulines moved to Cracow but returned to Poznań in 1919; they did not re-claim the Młyńska plot but built a new compound on the Sporna Street, Gulczyńska 1998, p. 172 it was also the most prestigious one. The establishment was entirely Polish in terms of instruction language and general outlook. There is no information on groups with German, which must have disappeared in the early 1920s; later memoirs of Polish students only exceptionally refer to German colleagues. German textbooks and manuals were gradually being replaced with Polish ones. In terms of religion the school was clearly a Roman Catholic one and none of the sources notes presence of Protestant ministers. Until the late 1920s the overall number of students hovered around 800.in 1928 there were 831 students enrolled, Małecka 2010, p. 127; for 1929 the figure is 828, Smuszkiewicz 2010, p. 48 Once a neo-humanist division was set up in 1929see Historia, [in:] V Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Klaudyny Potockiej service, available here - since 1936 operational as entirely separate Państwowe Gimnazjum Żeńskie im. Klaudyny PotockiejGulczyńska 1998, pp. 174-175 - the number of girls probably decreased slightly.